The developer behind Yooka-Laylee, a Kickstarter-funded spiritual successor to the beloved Banjo-Kazooie series plans to remove the Youtuber Jontron (Jon Jafari) from the game's cast of voice actors via a Day 1 update after his recent series controversial tweets regarding ethnic minorities in America. Jontron was always a big, vocal fan of the series and was invited to collaborate on the project back in February 2015. Many might say that he was pivotal in reviving the interest in Banjo-Kazooie through his content, both on Game Grumps and his own Youtube channel. Playtonic explained their position in an interview with Gameindustry.biz:

"We recently became aware of comments made by voice artist JonTron after development on Yooka-Laylee had been completed (...) JonTron is a talented video presenter who we were initially, two years ago, happy to include as a voice contributor in our game. However, in light of his recent personal viewpoints we have made the decision to remove JonTron's inclusion in the game via a forthcoming content update. We would like to make absolutely clear that we do not endorse or support JonTron's personal viewpoints and that, as an external fan contributor, he does not represent Playtonic in any capacity. Playtonic is a studio that celebrates diversity in all forms and strives to make games that everyone can enjoy. As such, we deeply regret any implied association that could make players feel anything but 100% comfortable in our game worlds, or distract from the incredible goodwill and love shown by our fans and Kickstarter backers."

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This recent development in the Jontron controversy raises an important question regarding Free Speech. I can fully understand Playtonic's position - they're distancing themselves from Jontron in order to prevent any damage to their brand. On the other hand, one could argue that Jontron is free to voice his views on his own platform and shouldn't be penalised for them elsewhere.

Naturally this is a very controversial issue, so I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the matter. What's your opinion? Tell us in comments below!

Update: Jontron acknowledged the decision via his Twitter and although he finds it unfortunate, he understands it and wishes the developers a successful launch.

"Unfortunate to see Playtonic remove me from Yooka Laylee, but I understand their decision. I wish them the best with their launch!"

I personally think that the removal is a bit extreme, two wrongs don't make a right. Yes, what people say and do can be is one thing, but a company to resort to SJW-like/PC methods, really? The damage is done, sure, but letting political views affect a game is just asinine.

Jontron was an idiot regarding his PR for making those comments, and even if I find them disgusting I think that is no reason to take him away. Fucking PC wins over Free Speech.
I find this decision stupid, and I don't agree with Jontron's comments.

Well, I suppose all of this is business. They must have done a market research and found this would increase sells/profit. That is the only explanation I can find to this stupidity from a corporate point of view.

who is this jon tron guy ? i only know a few youtubers.
pewdiepie (i love the guy no homo) and i also like h3h3 alot.
but my most fave is Happyconsolegamer.

having that jon tron whoever removed is a big deal to you guys that know him ? does he have a good 'voice acting' voice ?

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He is a very good comedian that makes a video game comedy series (and some other things lately), and happened to make some very unfortunate comments bordering white supremacy in the late days.
I recommend you watch his channel, he has very good content, most of it somewhat old.

He is a very food comedian that makes a video game comedy series (and some other things lately), and happened to make some very unfortunate comments bordering white supremacy in the late days.
I recommend you watch his channel, he has very good content, most of it somewhat old.

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i did try watching some of his stuff , but he never really appealed to me :/
i only like his beard >v>"

It seems to fall back onto the same Freedom of Speech problem.
I think it's a good thing. People should be allowed to say what you want. But then I would still want to be able call them a dick, and refuse to distribute their content.
I think Freedom of Speech shouldn't protect you from the consequences of what you have said, it should just allow you to say it.

Got what he deserved for being ignorant and such an a-hole.
And that people, is why you don't fucking post your bullshit opinions to anyone except those closer to you, not for the whole world to see, much more when you are an e-celeb
Bravo Playtonic Games, I applaud this decision

Just to be clear, this isn't about liking or not liking Jontron as a person, this is about firing someone because they said something you don't like or agree with. It's a pretty big deal as of late. I feel that Freedom of Speech, one of the most basic human rights and the cornerstone of democracy, is being under constant attack simply because certain opinions might be controversial or hurtful. I don't like the idea of living in a world in which everything you say is policed on the off chance that you might offend someone - that's the exact opposite of freedom.

Got what he deserved for being ignorant and such an a-hole.
And that people, is why you don't fucking post your bullshit opinions to anyone except those closer to you, not for the whole world to see, much more when you are an e-celeb
Bravo Playtonic Games, I applaud this decision

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What you're describing is called fascism. We shouldn't voice our opinions lest the politically correct gestapo smites us with their ban hammer? That's dystopian.

Got what he deserved for being ignorant and such an a-hole.
And that people, is why you don't fucking post your bullshit opinions to anyone except those closer to you, not for the whole world to see, much more when you are an e-celeb
Bravo Playtonic Games, I applaud this decision

On the other hand, as a strong supporter of Freedom of Speech and Expression, I can't exactly stand idly by when someone is being punished for their opinion, no matter how controversial. I can't speak for all of us gamers, but to me this basically means that I won't buy the game, and if I do for the sake of my better half, who happens to be a big Banjo fan, it'll be a pre-owned copy, so that the developers don't get a single penny from my purchase. I can't support this kind of conduct, even though I fully undestand the company's motivation. Playtonic is free to remove content from their own product, and I'm free to vote with my wallet and remove said product from my basket.

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I'll be buying the game, despite not particularly agreeing with the decision. Jon has every right to his opinion as you said. He also has every right for people to view him as a bit of a loon thanks to how poorly he represented himself in his, "debate."

And I find what happened to Pewdiepie and Jon to be perfectly reasonable. We are all entitled to our opinion, just as companies are entitled to distance themselves from us when we make controversial statements or statements that don't represent them as a whole.

This has been happening to regular celebrities for ages now, we are now moving into an age where it effects YouTubers as well. This kind of treatment can be related to the fall of Mel Gibson a few years ago. And I don't find it that crazy, nor do I feel any sympathy for Jon. Not that I condemn him, I don't disagree with everything he said. But we could all see a mile away that what he discussed would have repercussions, that's how the media world works, and if that bothers you there isn't much fixing it either. That's just business.

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